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12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Linking 11;00am Sunday morning with 11:00am Monday morning, 9 Mar 2001
By A Customer
'Thank God it's Monday' is written at a fast pace and Greene writes with plenty of experience of the struggle of witnessing while working. He throws some tough questions at the church on how it addresses issues that workers face today, i.e. long working days, redundancies, ethical/moral issues, job insecurity etc.Greene doesn't present himself as having all the answers, or of being the model Christian at work, in fact many of his stories highlight his own failures and shortcomings. However, Greene manages to communicate his passion for this subject, and what comes across so clearly is that he lived with, agonised and wrestled with these issues and believes passionately that the church needs to address them. After being careful to define work as not just employment but rather what you do in life , Green quotes some hard hitting survey statistics : Over 50% of Christians had never heard a sermon on work Over 70% of Christians had never been taught a theology of work Under 25 % of Christians had never been asked by a minister about their witness at work Only 26% of Christians had ever been asked by their minister to consider developing a ministry in the work place Nevertheless, Greene identifies that people spend most of their life in the workplace, and it is there where the best opportunities for evangelism and witness arise and are often missed. Greene develops his argument biblically starting with Genesis, God creating the world, as God working. He describes God as like a craftsman, administrator, with quality control and management. This is a fresh new way to read the creation story. Greene cites many more helpful examples often from the Old Testament of people who were used by God in their place of work . The point is made again and again, that even though work may be tough, you may be there for a reason that God can use. Greene also looks at issues such as dealing with a difficult boss and how to be an honest Christian if you're job is on the line. The overall aim if the book is to readdress the balance that churches have often ignored that the work place is of no interest. Greene states we were created to work, and God sees our work as important. I found the book a great aid in my ministry, and of much more use than other work related books such as 'Wake up to Work' by Geoff Shattock , or 'Work, prison or place of destiny' by David Oliver . On finishing reading the book I based a ten week preaching series 'God @ Work' on some of the Bible passages Greene mentions. I have worked hard to try and take subsequent sermons away from just talking about church based Christianity, instead grounding it in practical reality, using many more examples of my own retail background than I used to. We will also soon be starting a six week Bible study series 'Sunday, Monday', which takes this theme further and links faith on a Sunday to life on a Monday. This has been a helpful book. It has had a great influence on my reading, preaching and understanding of the Bible and how it relates to practical living.
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